Selin Kiazim

Oklava

Selin Kiazim

According to The Times’ Giles Coren, Selin Kiazim’s Turkish-Cypriot influenced food “has the potential to change lives”. And diners have been finding that out for themselves at Selin’s first restaurant Oklava, on Luke Street in Shoreditch, which opened in October 2015.

This is a huge break for the girl who was born in North London into a Turkish Cypriot family, where she was brought up on her mother’s traditional Turkish cooking. At the age of ten, Selin developed a strong nose for good food and took herself to catering college as soon as she could. A stint with Peter Gordon at The Providores led her into a senior chef role at Kopapa and she has never looked back.